Trans Healthcare Justice: Anand Kalra – Transgender Law Center

Trans* Pride Seattle 2015 is proud to begin announcing our line up of speakers and performers this year. This years themes include key trans justice topics: Trans Health Justice, Sex Worker Justice and ending “Walking While Trans” profiling, and a focus on Trans Live Matter and Trans Latina/o community justice. We are excited to be bringing some of the most important thinkers, activists, and performers from around the country and Washington State to our stage to elevate these vital conversations and celebrate our resilience and victories together

2014 and 2015 has seen a monumental shift in the health insurance landscape for Trans and gender non-conforming people in Washington State. With last year’s insurance commissioner letter to health insurance companies, coverage for State Employees, the City of Tacoma extending coverage last fall, The Medicare Program removing it’s exclusions to care, and most recently – movement by the Washington’s Medicaid program for low income people to expand transition related care in it’s plans by later this summer. Behind it all has been an exceptional alliance of organizations and activists called The Coalition for Inclusive Healthcare. Transgender Law Center is one of those member organizations – and has been key at moving Trans Health Justice forward across the country.

Anand Kalra is Health Programs Manager at Transgender Law Center, where he coordinates policy projects related to transition-related and HIV care for trans and gender non-conforming people. Anand applies systems analysis to identify breakdowns in the administration of health care in the private and public sectors, and uses this knowledge to create understandable educational materials and trainings for transgender community members and service providers. Prior to joining Transgender Law Center, Anand worked in public schools, private museums, academic libraries, and a pediatric clinic. He has ten years’ experience as an activist in trans and LGB communities and holds a Master’s degree in Information Science from the University of Michigan. Anand lives in Oakland with his cats, Finch and Sparrow.

Anand has been a key player in addressing the expansion of Medicare’s coverage of transition related care and ensuring that the implimentation of it’s policy decision is accessible for Trans people across the country. We are honored to be joined by Anand who will shed light on where we are right now – and where we have to go to achieve trans health justice!